Ashes
by Ghostly Patterns
Summary: If peace is not found, all that will remain are ashes." The story of Ashpaw and Whitepaw. Story's a whole lot better than the summary, I swear.


**I don't own anything having to do with Warriors.**

**This is also my first try at a warriors fanfic... so it'll probably be awful. .O.;**

**If you spot any spelling mistakes I'd love it if you notified me :3**

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**PROLOGE**

_ThunderClan warriors swarmed_ ShadowClan's camp. Hawkfur stood outside the nursery, guarding the other queen Dawnmask, who was kitting. The brown tabby she-cat snarled as a gray tabby leaped onto her back, claws ripping into her skin. Hawkfur rolled, pinning the other she-cat beneath her back for a heartbeat, and then rolling again, freed. She lunged at the gray tabby while she was down, a ThunderClan warrior named Slatetooth, and raked her claws across her exposed belly. Slatetooth yowled in pain and clawed at Hawkfur's face. The two tabbies were locked by tooth and claw and they slashed wildly at each other, rolling in a flurry of fur, until finally, Slatetooth wriggled away from Hawkfur and fled into the cloud of fighting cats.

She briefly spied Oakstar, the ThunderClan leader, tussling with their leader Stormstar beneath Highbranch before a large black tomcat bowled her over. Hawkfur snarled as the ThunderClan warrior sank his teeth into her hindleg and used it to drag her away from the nursery entrance. The brown tabby she-cat twisted in his grip, viciously clawing at the tom's green eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a creamy-furred tom creeping into the nursery.

"No!" Hawkfur yowled and raked her claws over her attacker's nose. Blood momentarily blinded him and she took advantage of it by raking her claws over the side of his face and freeing her leg from his jaws. Once on her paws Hawkfur brought herself to her hindpaws and crashed all her weight down on the black tom. He yowled, twisted and rolled, slicing a claw through her belly as he did so. The ShadowClanner hissed in pain, but hissed triumphantly as the ThunderClanner turned and raced towards the camp entrance.

The ShadowClan queen whirled around and bounded towards the nursery. The elders Wildtail and Spottedmask were combatting the creamy ThunderClan tom, Yellowflight. They fought side by side, drawing back and rearing up and slashing at the tom when he attempted to lunge. From behind Hawkfur jumped onto his back and dug her claws in deep. Yellowflight began shaking wildly, throwing his weight around, trying to dislodge her but Hawkfur held fast. Wildtail's claws raked his shoulder as he passed; Yellowflight finally rolled onto his back and trapped Hawkfur beneath him.

Spottedmask pounced on the warrior's exposed belly and began raking her hindclaws down it. The ThunderClanner screamed in agony until Spottedmask - jerky with age - jumped away. Yellowflight rolled onto his paws, turned, and fled.

"We'll guard the inside of the nursery," the white elder Wildtail rasped, bleeding from her shoulder and flank and one ear ripped in half. Hawkfur returned to her post, sides heaving, panting for breath. The number of ThunderClanners had decreased: she saw Stormstar on top of Oakstar, raking his claws through the pale brown tom's belly. Oakstar suddenly exploded upwards sending ShadowClan's leader flailing backwards; insteading of attacking again Oakstar yowled, "Retreat! ThunderClan! Retreat!"

The enemy warriors began pulling away from the cat they were fighting and fleeing towards the camp entrance. Icelegs, Tigerpath, Blueclaw, and Willowpaw raced after them to make sure they went straight to their own territory.

Rockfire, ShadowClan's deputy, padded up to Stormstar and touched noses with him. The gray and ginger she-cat was limping badly. Hawkfur turned away from her injured Clanmates and called out softly to Wildtail and Spottedmask.

"Dawnmask has kitted," Spottedmask purred, sticking her brown head out of the thicket. Then the light died from her eyes. "There were three, but one was born dead and the other stopped breathing a short time ago." Grief pricked at Hawkfur's heart like thorns as she pushed passed the elder and crouched beside Dawnmask. The younger queen was fervently licking the tiny body of one of her kits, the only one that was alive. Hawkfur brushed her tail along the dark gray she-cat's flank as Spottedmask and Wildtail took the bodies of the dead kits out.

"You need to see Bramble-eyes," Wildtail rasped to Hawkfur as she padded passed her. "So do you," the brown tabby meowed, but nodded and backed out of the nursery after making sure her own kit, Mudkit, was safely curled close to Dawnmask's belly.

She pushed her way through the tangle of lowhanging branches that encircled the medicine cat's den. Many other warriors were already inside, lying down in the moss and Bramble-eyes and her apprentice Ravenpaw tended to them. Hawkfur took a seat next to her mate, Tigerpath, and groomed his face while waiting for Bramble-eyes to come over.

After Bramble-eyes had treated Stormstar the black tomcat padded over to the bramble and thorn thicket that hid the nursery. He wiggled inside and stood over Dawnmask. The third queen, Cloudbreath, was nursing her own kit, Whitekit, and Hawkfur's kit. Stormstar pressed his nose against his mate's cheek and looked down at the tiny scrap of fur kneading the gray she-cat's belly. The kit was dark gray like Dawnmask, shadowed by darker almost black stripes. There was white on her chest and muzzle.

"Her name is Ashkit," Dawnmask meowed, not noticing Stormstar's shoulders go rigid. The memory of the previous night's dream came floating back to him: _If peace is not found, all that will remain are ashes._

**CHAPTER ONE**

_"Ashkit, Mudkit, and Whitekit _have reached the age of six moons," Stormstar announced from his perch on Highbranch, which hung above his den.

Ashkit pawed the ground impatiently. Beside her was Whitekit, his tail lashing from side to side in excitement. On Whitekit's other side Mudkit stood calmly, staring up at Stormstar with blue eyes. "Mudkit," Stormstar continued after a pause, "until you have earned your warrior name you will be known as Mudpaw. Willowflight, you are a new warrior but you are brave and loyal and will be a great mentor to young Mudpaw."

Willowflight stepped forward, his tan pelt shining in the sunlight, and touched noses with the younger tom. Mudpaw followed his mentor into the crowd. Ashkit nudged Whitekit with a forepaw and whispered, "Willowflight looks more like Mudpaw's father than Tigerpath does." Whitekit snickered in agreement and then lifted his head as Stormstar called his name.

"Whitekit you will be known as Whitepaw. Blueclaw you are an experienced warrior with great strength, ferocity, and pride. You will be mentor to Whitepaw, and I know you will pass on everything you know to him." Whitepaw turned to face the large broud-shouldered blue-gray tom that emerged from the crowd of cats. They touched noses and then the large tom lead his apprentice into the group.

"Ashkit." Stormstar faultered, cleared his throat, and continued. "You will be Ashpaw. Cloudbreath you are patient but fierce. You will be mentor for Ashpaw, pass along your skill to her like you did with Icelegs." Ashpaw hopped frrom paw to paw as she watched a sleek white she-cat pad up to her. Cloudbreath purred as she touched noses with the gray she-cat and then Ashpaw padded along at her heels towards their Clanmates. A chorus of "Whitepaw! Mudpaw! Ashpaw!" rang through the clearing.

When the noise had died down and Ashpaw was seated between Cloudbreath and Blueclaw, Ashpaw whispered, "Can we start training today?" The older she-cat flicked her tail in amusement. "Of course. Right after the meeting." Ashpaw impatiently looked back at Stormstar. "Hawkfur," the large black tom called, "is it your wish to give up the name of warrior and go to join the elders?"

The brown tabby she-cat lifted her head to gaze into Stormstar's green eyes. "It is," she mewed. Stormstar bowed his head and meowed, "Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given us. I call upon StarClan to give you many seasons of rest." Hawkfur touched noses with Spottedmask and Wildtail, and then touched noses with her mate. Stormstar yowled, "Dismissed!"

Ashpaw leaped to her paws and pounced on her new mentor. "Let's go!" She meowed eagerly. Cloudbreath purred and pushed Ashpaw off of her and was on her paws in an instant. "Alright, alright. Why don't we see if Blueclaw or Willowflight wants to take their apprentices with us?" Ashpaw impatiently scrambled over to Blueclaw and Whitepaw.

"Blueclaw, can you and Whitepaw come with us?" Ashpaw pawed at the large blue-gray warrior's side. "Please?" Blueclaw glanced at Cloudbreath and with an amused purr mewed, "Of course. We were going to tour the territory, what about you, Cloudbreath? Willowflight?" Ashpaw tuned out the warriors' conversation and pounced on Whitepaw. The white tom batted at her head as he jumped out of her way. "Can't catch me!" He teased.

"Can too!" Ashpaw flung herself at the other apprentice and bowled him over. The two cats rolled in the dirt fighting to pin the other under them. When Ashpaw rolled again, Whitepaw beneath her, she was suddenly knocked off of him by a flash of brown fur. "Come on you two! Let's get going!" Mudpaw snapped, leaping nimbly off of the gray she-cat.

Ashpaw and Whitepaw scrambled over to their mentors after Mudpaw. "Ready?" Blueclaw, the oldest warrior, meowed. The two younger warriors nodded and the six cats padded up the slope and out of the camp.

The smell of pine was the first thing Ashpaw noticed, though that was nothing new. The warriors and their apprentices paused at the top of the slope and scented the air. "Can any of you smell anything besides the trees?" Willowflight asked, tail flicking from side to side. "I can," Whitepaw meowed, "it smells like fox!"

Blueclaw nodded. "Yes, but it's stale; the fox must have passed by a few sunrises ago. Anything else?" Ashpaw lifted her chin and sniffed the air for a few hearbeats. She smelt the thick odor of the fox, but under that, there was something else. "Is it... mouse?" She meowed, turning her head to look at Cloudbreath. "Very good, Ashpaw," Cloudbreath praised. The six cats continued, heading towards the ThunderClan border.

Ashpaw kept her jaw open slightly, taking in the scents of the forest. The needles underpaw were soft and masked their pawsteps as they padded through the pine forest. She could smell and hear mice and squirrels around her. Whitepaw padded by her side, his multicolored eyes taking in the sights. Mudpaw was calmly padding ahead of them, between Willowflight and Blueclaw. Cloudbreath was in the lead, warning them of fallen trees as she plodded through the undergrowth.

A sharp acrid scent soon invaded Ashpaw's nose. She screwed up her face and ran her tongue along the roof of her mouth as if trying to banish the scent. "What's _that_?" Whitepaw meowed, his reaction identical to Ashpaw's. "It's the Thunderpath, isn't it?" Mudpaw asked before any of the warriors could respond.

Willowflight nodded as they halted at the edge of the trees, gazing at the hard gray path just visible to the short stubble of bushes that lined the path. "Yes. Twoleg monsters travel down it but they never seem get off of it. It's extremely dangerous, especially to young cats. We won't go farther than this today but ShadowClan territory expands to the stream on the other side. Can anyone smell anything under the scent of the Thunderpath?"

"I can!" Ashpaw meowed excitedly. "I smell fox again!"

Cloudbreath scented the air again, and then nodded. "And it's fresher, I'd say we just missed it," the white warrior meowed to her companions. Ashpaw and Whitepaw exchanged a glance, excited at the thought of meeting a fox. Mudpaw's ears twitched as he looked around. "It went this way." The tabby tom pointed with his tail.

"Let's go after it!" Whitepaw mewed and bounded forward. "No!" Blueclaw hastily leaped after the white furred apprentice and caught him by the scruff. Ashpaw - who had bounded after her friend - skidded to a hault. "Why not?"

"It's too dangerous for you two! You've just become apprentices," Cloudbreath scolded the two. Ashpaw flattened her ears in embarrassment and Whitepaw looked down at his paws. Cloudbreath softened her tone a little, "Let's keep going now. If we run into the fox we can chase it away, and you'll get to see some fighting moves."

"Right," Blueclaw meowed, marking a tree with ShadowClan scent. "Let's show them the Twoleg nest."

The six cats turned away from the old Thunderpath and headed northwest. Ashpaw and Whitepaw occasionally strayed from their mentors to scare a squirrel or dove away, but Mudpaw followed behind the larger cats like a puppy.

Before long the trees began to thin out and they came upon a large white fence that surrounded the nest. "Twolegs are crazy creatures," Willowflight muttered as they gazed up at the fence. "Don't go beyond this fence. That's their territory, and only StarClan knows what they do in there." Ashpaw jumped up and dug her claws into the wood of the fence and attempted to climb it. "Ashpaw!" Cloudbreath snarled and swatted her apprentice off of the fence.

Ashpaw tumbled to the ground, landing on top of Mudpaw. The tabby apprentice snarled and shoved the gray she-cat off of him with his hindpaws. His fur fluffed up and his claws unsheathed. Ashpaw rolled, twisted, and was on her paws in a few heartbeats. She leaped at Mudpaw and bowled him over. She had pinned the older tom beneath him when Whitepaw jumped into the fray from behind and sent Ashpaw tumbling away. The fight turned into play and the two batted at each other as they rolled in the dirt.

Mudpaw huffed and shook his pelt free of debris. Blueclaw swatted Ashpaw away from Whitepaw with a low growl. "Enough!" The large blue-gray tom snarled. He whirled around to face Mudpaw. "Why did you attack Ashpaw?"

"But she attacked _me_!" The tan and brown tom shuffled his paws. "And I was surprised, that's all." Ashpaw blinked and shook herself. While the three warriors were preoccupied with Mudpaw, Ashpaw butted her head against Whitepaw's shoulder. She pointed with her tail to a hole that had been dug under the fence by a larger animal. The white tom glanced at his mentor, then back at Ashpaw and nodded.

Making sure their mentors weren't watching, the two apprentices slipped into the tunnel and under the fence. Ashpaw clawed her way through the tunnel, cringing at the strange scent that hung inside it, until she emerged on the other side. As she came back into the light she shook clinging dirt from her fur. Whitepaw emerged beside her and they looked across the yard. It was a maze made of heavily-scented plants of all different kinds.

The cloying scent of strange plants made Ashpaw sneeze. Her ears pricked, hearing the three warriors still scolding Mudpaw. Whitepaw cuffed her ear and whispered, "Come on, will you?"

They trotted forward into the rough grass. Strange plants were lined in rows where no grass grew, just rectangles of dark blackish dirt. "Twolegs _are_ weird," Ashpaw murmured. "I can't smell anything over these plants!" Whitepaw hissed in agreement, pressing his paw to his nose briefly as he sneezed. The white furred tom bounded after the gray she-cat after realizing his friend had started to leave him behind.

They padded closer towards the Twoleg's nest, leaving behind the maze of strange-smelling plants. The grass here had been cut short and there was a large oak tree in the middle of the clearing. It was a very wide, clear area and beyond the tree they could see the walls of the Twoleg nest. "Race you to the tree!" Whitepaw yowled as he took off towards the oak. Ashpaw raced after him, her paws pounding on the ground as she ran.

They raced side by side, evenly matched, the wind making Ashpaw's ears lay flat on her head. About halfway there a large black dog suddenly lumbered out from behind the tree. The dog was bigger than a grown cat, but not by much, and made its way swiftly towards the two young cats. Fur standing on end both Ashpaw and Whitepaw clawed at the earth, skidding to a stop. The dog barked, spittle hanging from its mouth, and lunged towards them.

The dog's jaws snapped right infront of Whitepaw with a loud click. Whitepaw yowled in fright, fear-scent rolling off of him in waves, and slashed at the dog's nose. The dog snarled and yanked its head back as blood welled on its tender black nose. "Whitepaw!" Ashpaw yowled and flung herself at the dog's legs and sank her teeth into one of the dog's front legs.

The dog barked and reared up, dislodging Ashpaw easily and sending her flying. The gray she-cat twisted in the air clumsily but managed to land on her paws unsteadily, though she toppled over. "Whitepaw!" She yowled again regaining her balance and bounding back over to her friend. The dog had closed its jaws around Whitepaw's foreleg when Ashpaw's claws raked over its eye. The dog snarled and swung its head and clamped its jaws around Ashpaw's middle. The apprentice squealed and began clawing wildly, her claws scoring the dog's chin but not doing much more than drawing blood.

Whitepaw sank his teeth into the dog's throat as it lifted its head. The claws on his uninjured paw scraped over the dog's rough coat around its neck. The dog was shaking Ashpaw violently, spit flying from its mouth, ignoring the shallow slashes Whitepaw was making across its neck - it did not have a collar - when suddenly Blueclaw and Willowflight exploded from the cloying plants. Willowflight slammed into the dog's chest, and its mouth flew open and Ashpaw fell to the ground with a hard _thump._

Ashpaw wailed in pain as she slammed into the ground. She heard Cloudbreath snarling and the dog yelping as the three warriors attacked. She scented Mudpaw right before she felt him nose her fur. She lifted her head weakly and mewed pitifully. Whitepaw limped over to her and collapsed beside her. She turned her head to watch Blueclaw rake his claws down the dog's face, Cloudbreath nip at his heels several times, and Willowflight jump and leap slashing at the dog's shoulder. The black dog yelped and barked in pain as it wildly snapped at one cat and then the other.

Finally the dog shook all the warriors off, turned tail and ran, whining and yelping in pain.

Ashpaw weakly got to her paws and nudged Whitepaw to his. Cloudbreath padded over to them and sniffed at their injuries. Whitepaw's foreleg was matted with blood. Ashpaw was dizzy and where the dog's teeth had closed around her blood was welling up and dribbling down her sides. "Let's go," Blueclaw growled and nudged the three younger cats forward.

Whitepaw leaned on Ashpaw's shoulder as he limped, Mudpaw on his other side. Ashpaw head was down as she padded after the warriors. Her scratches stung badly when the plants brushed against her pelt. The journey back to camp was slow and painful. Willowflight padded behind them and prodded the two forward whenever they tried to stop.

Blueclaw's fur along his spine was raised and his tail lashed as he weaved through the trees down the slope.

Ashpaw lay in Bramble-eyes' den as Ravensoul swathed her scratches in a poultice and marigold. She could hear Blueclaw, Cloudbreath, and Stormstar outside."... yard and was attacked by the Twoleg's dog. Cloudbreath, Willowflight and I were able to save them just in time. We heard their yowls after Mudpaw noticed they were missing. We warned them not to go in..."

Ashpaw sighed and rested her chin on her forepaws. "Thanks, Ravensoul," she meowed as the black she-cat finished pressing cobwebs onto Ashpaw's sides. The medicine cat smiled and nodded her head. "Glad to help, Ashpaw. Though this wasn't a good way to start off your apprenticeship." The black she-cat glanced at Whitepaw on the other side of the den, his foreleg already bandaged. Bramble-eyes was setting a leaf with poppy seeds on it in front of his nose. "I'm glad you two are okay though."

The gray tabby sighed again, closing her eyes against the sting of the poultice on her wounds.

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Ashpaw scented the air at the top of the slope. Her ears twitched at the sound of rustling leaves. She turned her head as Whitepaw emerged from the undergrowth, a squirrel dangling from his jaws. She flicked her tail in greeting and glanced back down the slope. It had been a moon since their encounter with the dog. Both the ShadowClanner's wounds had healed fine, especially Whitepaw's leg.

"Ready to go back to camp?" Whitepaw meowed dropping his squirrel over his paws. His white coat was fluffed against the leaf-fall cold. Ashpaw's tail tip twitched as she shook her head. "I haven't caught a thing," she complained unhappily.

Whitepaw's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Maybe if you didn't complain so much you wouldn't scare all the prey away." He cuffed Ashpaw's ears teasingly and the gray she-cat nipped his paw in return, playfully. "Come on," he meowed, "we still have the trip down. Maybe you'll catch something then. And remember, it's leaf-fall. It'll be leaf-bare soon, so it's not unusual not to catch pray." Ashpaw nodded and followed the white tom down the slope towards camp. _What would I do without Whitepaw?_ She thought as she perked her ears, listening for prey. _He always knows how to cheer me up._

Ashpaw detected the scent of mouse and paused. She waited, ears twitching, pinpointing the sound. Remembering her hunting lessons with Cloudbreath the gray tabby she-cat crouched and slowly brought each paw forward, heading towards an oak tree with large roots growing above ground. A gray-brown mouse was searching for leftover nuts on the ground.

She pounced squarely on the leaf-bare thin rodent, sinking her claws into its flesh. She killed it with a swift bite and then bounded after Whitepaw.

They passed Mudpaw and Willowflight in the tunnel into ShadowClan camp. Their tails flicked in a silent signal and Whitepaw headed towards the elder's den, and Ashpaw padded towards the medicine cat den.

She moved aside the tangle of thinner branches that marked the entrance and dropped her mouse at the entrance. "Bramble-eyes? Ravensoul? I need some mouse-bile for Hawkfur's ticks." Instead of Bramble-eyes, Ravensoul mewed the okay for Ashpaw to enter. Ashpaw picked up her mouse and padded into the airy den. Part of the den was unroofed for the medicine cat to observe the sky for signs from StarClan.

The small tortoiseshell she-cat lay curled up in a mossy nest. Ravensoul was crouched over her mentor, worry shining in her green eyes. Ashpaw dropped the mouse in front of the medicine cats. "What's wrong with Bramble-eyes?" She meowed noting the heat coming off of the tortoiseshell in waves. It made her fur prickle.

"Greencough," Ravensoul mewed, shaking her head roughly. "Come this way, here's the mouse bile."

Ashpaw dabbed mouse bile onto the tick behind Hawkfur's ear. Behind her Whitepaw was checking Wildtail for ticks. Spottedmask was curled up asleep further in the den.

She wrinkled her nose against the smell of the mouse bile as she cracked the tick. "All done, Hawkfur," she mewed at last and steped back to wait for Whitepaw. Wildtail lifted her head, one eye closed, and rasped, "Ashpaw, would you get Ravensoul? I think Spottedmask is sick. She's got a fever and her nose and eyes are running."

Ashpaw's fur prickled again as she backed out of the den and raced towards Ravensoul's den. She pushed her way through the branches and cried, "Ravensoul, Spottedmask has greencough!" She listed the symptoms Wildtail had given her and Ravensoul nodded grimly.

"That sounds like greencough all right. I'll be there in a second, let me get some catmint." The black she-cat turned and slipped into the sheltered part of the den. Ashpaw turned and padded out quickly, meeting Whitepaw by the meager fresh-kill pile.

The two apprentices shared a scrawny sparrow by the apprentice's den, watching Ravensoul with a packet of herbs clamped gently between her teeth head into the elder's den.

"I hope Spottedmask's okay," Whitepaw murmured as he plucked several feathers from the sparrow with his teeth. Ashpaw nodded in agreement and bit into the stringy meat. "Me too. I can't wait until leaf-bare's over, can you?"

Whitepaw's tail flicked as he chewed. "Nope. I wonder when Blueclaw's going to teach me how to fight. Has Cloudbreath taught you any fighting?" Ashpaw shook her head and took another small bite. "No. It feels like she's holding me back! I want to fight and protect my Clan and all she wants me to do is help the elders and hunt." Her tail lashed in annoyance. "And remember when we passed Mudpaw earlier? I bet Willowflight was taking him out to spar!"

White grunted in agreement and bit into the sparrow again.

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A cold wind blew through the branches, ruffling Ashpaw's ear fur. She shivered and flattened her ears, looking up at the darkening sky. "Ashpaw!" The sound of her name made her look down. Mudpaw was standing in front of the entrance with Willowflight, Icelegs, and Rockfire. "Do you want to come with us on the evening patrol?"

Ashpaw twitched her ears and nodded. She rose to her paws and looked around for Cloudbreath. She spotted her mentor sharing a squirrel with Sandfoot, ShadowClan's current queen. The gray and white tabby trotted over to her mentor and mewed, "Can I go on the evening patrol, Cloudbreath?"

Her mentor looked passed her at the assembled cats, and then nodded. "Remember to do everything the warriors tell you," the white she-cat called after her apprentice as Ashpaw bounded over to the patrol.

"I will!" Ashpaw meowed and followed Mudpaw out of camp. The patrol headed west toward the Greenleaf Twolegplace to survey their border with RiverClan. Ashpaw and Mudpaw padded side by side ahead of the patrol. Mudpaw's tan and brown coat shone in the dying light; the tom looked a lot like his mother, Hawkfur. It felt strange padding alongside Mudpaw instead of Whitepaw.

Ashpaw halted as the wooden dock came into view. She crouched and sped along on silent paws, her eyes trained on a squirrel sitting among the fallen leaves and needles, probably searching for seeds. She pounced, killing the squirrel with a bite to the neck.

"Well done," Icelegs meowed. His long black and white coat was fluffed out against the cold breezes as well. Ashpaw purred at the praise and scraped a little dirt over her prize to hide it from predators while the patrol continued.

"Great pounce, Ashpaw," Mudpaw murmured as she joined him again. "Thanks," Ashpaw purred and lifted her tail with pride. The ShadowClan warriors paused at the edge of the wooden dock and scented the air. Ashpaw could see a group of RiverClan cats on the other side. ShadowClan was allied with RiverClan so it didn't raise much alarm, but still Rockfire strode forward to meet the leader of the patrol, a large brown and white tabby she-cat named Adderstrike. A thin white she-cat crouched behind her with a smaller gray-black tom - probably an apprentice - by her side. Ashpaw could tell that the apprentice's pale green eyes were sizing up the ShadowClan patrol by the doubt and suspicioun shining in them.

The warriors exchanged greetings and began chatting lightly. Ashpaw padded up to the gray-black apprentice who was hanging back, looking from cat to cat. "Hi," she meowed, her tail flicking with excitement. This was the first time she'd met cats outside of ShadowClan. "I'm Ashpaw. Who're you?"

The gray-black tom smiled a little. "I'm Pebblepaw!" He meowed, glancing at Mudpaw who was padding up to them. Mudpaw bowed his head slightly and flicked his tail at Pebblepaw. "I'm Mudpaw. How's the prey running?"

Pebblepaw curled his tail around his paws. "Pretty well for leaf-fall, actually," the tom meowed. "How's Stormstar?"

"He's great!" Ashpaw purred at the thought of her father. "He's a bit cranky, but that's normal. What about Runningstar?" Mudpaw shifted on his paws uneasily, but Ashpaw ignored him. Pebblepaw shrugged his thin shoulders. "He's doing good. Has an apprentice, too. Fishpaw."

"Ashpaw! Mudpaw!" The ShadowClan apprentices turned their heads at the sound of their names. "Coming!" Ashpaw meowed loudly, and then turned back to Pebblepaw as Mudpaw quickly hurried away. "Nice meeting you, Pebblepaw," she meowed and the gray-black tom nodded shyly. "You too, Ashpaw. I hope I'll see you at the gathering."

Ashpaw flashed the RiverClan apprentice a smile, nodded again and then turned, bounding across the dock to her Clanmates.


End file.
